This invention relates in general to a collapsible rack for use in truck beds, and, and, more particularly, to a collapsible rack having foldable and telescoping elements for use in connection with transporting a variety of materials.
Pick up trucks are currently used by many businesses for transportation of materials and other objects to and from job sites. Such materials and objects are often cumbersome and difficult to transport in the bed of the truck and thus racks are employed to carry same. Racks are generally affixed directly to the bed of a truck and are not easily removable. Also, such racks occupy much of the bed of the pickup thereby limiting use of the truck bed for transportation of other items. Lastly, such racks are generally configured to carry one item, for example, window panes, and cannot be reconfigured to carry items of differing dimensions.
Thus, there is a need for racks which can collapse during non-use to permit the truck bed to be used for other tasks and to be reconfigured to handle items of differing sizes and configurations. The present invention meets these needs.
Other attempts have been made to address these problems. U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,336 entitled xe2x80x9cInterchangeable Glass Rack for Pickup Trucksxe2x80x9d which issued on Dec. 8, 1981 to Mays discloses an interchangeable glass rack for pickup trucks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,152 entitled xe2x80x9cExtendable Carrier Rack for Pick-up Trucksxe2x80x9d which issued on Aug. 8, 1995 to Campbell shows an extendable carrier rack for pickup trucks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,301 entitled xe2x80x9cCargo Securing System Including an Adjustable and Extensible Rack for Trucksxe2x80x9d which issued on Dec. 19, 1995 to Berkich provides a cargo securing system including an adjustable and extensible rack for pickup trucks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,175 entitled xe2x80x9cGlass Carrying Rackxe2x80x9d which issued on Jul. 14, 1981 to Jackson has a glass carrying rack for pickup trucks.
None of the known prior art disclose the device set forth herein.
It is an object of this invention to provide a rack which can collapsed during non-use to permit the truck bed to be used for other tasks
It is a further object of this invention to provide a rack which can be reconfigured to handle items of differing sizes and configurations.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.